Category: World Scripture-2

They Came Upon Him and Seized Him

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 675

Jesus strove to establish his family but could not fulfill that portion of God’s will. He then went the path of the cross, putting behind him the thought of bride and bridegroom. Hence, he said that he would come again and hold the Marriage of the Lamb. This refers to the appearance of the ideal family in which God can find rest. Then the Lord can attain the position of True Parent. As the True Parent, he has to give birth to true children and then form true brothers and sisters. Centered on this true family, by forming true clans and true races, he has to establish a new race and a new nation. We come to the conclusion that Jesus has to come again to realize this. (39-345, 1971.1.16)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1056

    Your family should not become secularized or slaves of habit. You should not think, “Things will be better in the future even though it is terrible now.” You are to be perfect now; the present is the problem. When the past and the present are perfected, the future will be perfect. Not having had a perfect day in the Garden of Eden still causes us to suffer the effects of the Fall.
    The ideal is the place where the past, present, and future can be united into one. You should be able to offer up the present. God’s desire is to set up the eternal stepping stone on earth. This is the historical point of synthesis. (21-77, 1968.10.20)

Martyrdom

WHEN PEOPLE OF FAITH ENCOUNTER HOSTILE AUTHORITIES who feel threatened by their convictions and values, some may pay the ultimate price. Father Moon explains from a spiritual viewpoint that whenever goodness advances, Satan exacts his toll. That is why it is often the best people who are sacrificed.
The word “martyr” means witness. In their steadfastness in the face of death, the martyrs bear testimony to their faith and to God who inspires such faith. The example of the martyr, who places God above his or her own life, is powerful and inspiring. Martyrdom, therefore, strengthens the community of faith, deepening its roots and furthering its growth. Tertullian famously wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Today some regard fighters who die in the course of offensive operations that take innocent lives, e.g., suicide bombers, as martyrs. If that is martyrdom, it is the weakest form. The highest form of martyrdom stands on the foundation of goodness and mercy, even as Jesus blessed the Roman soldiers who nailed him to the cross.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
    Psalm 116.15

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
    Matthew 24.9

Continue reading “They Came Upon Him and Seized Him”

True People of Faith Accept Persecution and Trials

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2148

    Yet, as God is eternal, unchanging, absolute, and unique, so also is His will; therefore, through the true individual, family, society, nation, world, and sovereignty, He will surely build the world in which He can freely operate both in heaven and on earth. Then, what is the original world which He seeks? It is one centered on true parents; yet, due to the Fall, we lost the true parents of humanity and the true world from the very beginning of history. That being the case, nothing in the world – whether our country of residence, human ideology, or anything else – can connect us directly to true parents; therefore, we ourselves should first restore trueness.
    Thereby, the day when true parents, spouses, children, citizens, creation, sovereignty, and the true universe can move and settle in unison with God’s true heart on earth will signify the final days of the evil world. The time when such an ideal will be realized is the Last Days, the Second Advent. As such, when the Lord returns, there will be no cataclysmic phenomena such as judgment by fire, the destruction of Earth, or believers levitating into the air. Instead, it is a time when history entangled with tragedies will be untangled through indemnity paid to establish the individual, family, society, nation, and world, which were lost in the vertical course of history and will be restored horizontally in the present day. We have been longing for such a day, and that is the final destination at which we all should arrive. 
    However, individuals, families, and nations have lost their way. All kinds of problems such as air pollution, famine, religious conflict, and racial antagonism are constantly arising throughout the world, causing all manner of disputes. Who is going to take responsibility for this world? This is a serious matter. Communist countries in the past could not transcend nationalism, nor can today’s superpower, the USA, transcend Pan-Americanism. When a nation places its self-interest first, it will not be able to lead the world. We need a people or a religion that is willing to sacrifice its interests for a higher purpose and strive to build an ideal nation that embraces all humankind. With this view, in response to God’s command, I came here to America and poured all my energy to educate its young people, reawaken it from its moral crisis, and revive its declining Christianity.  The Path for America and Humanity in the Last Days

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1274

In the Bible you read the story of Jacob, who plotted with his mother and tricked his father into giving him the blessing. You also read about Tamar, who committed immoral acts. Yet, it states in the Bible that Jesus will come to the earth through the tribe of Judah. What does all this mean? It is because the problem of conversion of the lineage remained and had to be resolved. The bloodline must be purified. Of all the religions, only Christianity has placed importance on the lineage, and laid down the conversion of lineage as its main ideology. You cannot find this in any other religion, and that is why you can safely conclude that we must follow this teaching.

Persecution

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

You have to pass through hell in order to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. (Way of God’s Will 1.8)

Persecution is God’s strategic expedient to recover the ownership of the satanic world. If you understand this principle, it becomes self-evident why true religions prosper under persecution. The founders of the major religions of the world—Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and Mohammed—all were persecuted. Yet, because of this principle, these persecuted people became saints. History progresses following this principle; therefore, with the flow of time they were naturally destined to become the victors. (189:205-06, April 6, 1989) Continue reading “True People of Faith Accept Persecution and Trials”

Blessed Are You When Men Revile You and Persecute You

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 2104

In your family you are told, “Be a child of filial piety!” What does this mean? It means to practice true love. Then, what does it mean to say, “Be an heir” or “Be a patriot”? It is saying that we should inherit the nation. What does it mean to say, “Be a saint?” It means that we should love the world; if we do, we will inherit the world. We will be the owner of the world. If we say, “Be a holy son and daughter” and “Be God’s son”… what does that mean? It is saying that we should participate in God’s love and receive the right to inherit the entire universe. Based on the traditional way to inherit all these things, God has been preparing the foundation to develop this logical stage in the fallen world of humanity. From this we can draw the conclusion that the purpose of religion or the path of spiritual attainment is possible. On what basis? On the basis of love. (142-337, 1986.3.14)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1079

Our members should not be wearing expensive neckties. I am not saying this because I am concerned about what others will think. If possible, however, we should be frugal in these matters. If we live this way, a great revolution of resourcefulness will explode out of this. This is absolutely necessary in America. (94-195, 1977.9.1)

Persecution

SACRIFICE IS OFTEN THRUST UPON A MAN OR WOMAN in the form of persecution. Few desire to be mistreated, misunderstood, slandered, ostracized and harassed. Yet persecution often follows righteous believers like a shadow.
Persecution is of no value if it crushes us. However, those who can persevere with faith and digest these troubles without complaint or resentment can attain the highest goal of fellowship with Heaven. Persecution can be a blessing, because it pushes us into the realm of total self-sacrifice and self-denial. Its circumstances allow us to attain an unsurpassed degree of selflessness beyond what we could achieve by our own efforts. In view of the beatification which comes through sacrifice, it is not surprising that people who are persecuted in faith often lose any negative feelings of hate or vengefulness toward their persecutors and even develop compassion for them. Selflessness begets holiness and relatedness to the divine. Hence the paradoxical fact of history that religions thrive in times of persecution.
Father Moon also teaches that God and Satan have, as it were, a contract between them: If Satan unrighteously persecutes innocent believers, God has a right to claim compensation for damages. In this way, throughout history goodness at first suffers attack but triumphs in the end. God takes this principle to its logical application: Believers should welcome maltreatment and even consciously embark on a course leading to persecution as a way to advance the divine purpose.

Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    Matthew 5.11-12 Continue reading “Blessed Are You When Men Revile You and Persecute You”

Whoever Favors War Are the Evil Ones

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 317

If God is seeking an absolute partner in love, whom will He place in that position? It is none other than human beings. It follows that a partner in love who has become one with the eternal love of the Creator must also live forever. An important issue for religion is how to establish a logical understanding of eternal life based on relationships of love. Eternal life does not lie in a man or a woman. It does not lie in God. You must clearly understand that eternal life is in the love of God. (218-210, 1991.7.29)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1079

Even when you eat out of hunger you should not completely fill your plate with food. You should maintain the standard of finding satisfaction in eating three-fifths of your plateful after removing two-fifths of it. Only then are you a wise person. You should know how to be frugal in everything. You should save the maximum and then find out the minimum you can live with. If you invest yourself using the minimum for at least three months you will discover the real minimum you can live with. After you do so, let’s see how it goes. (57- 197, 1972.5.31)

War Against Evil

3. Situations When War is Justified

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Not many people on this earth welcome an individual who pursues a different kind of goodness. When a good individual works to form a family of goodness, the surrounding people do not welcome him. When that good family strives to expand into a tribe of goodness, the tribulations besetting his path become even more difficult. And when that good tribe tries to form a nation of goodness, certainly an even greater evil power will rise in rebellion to block its way. Moreover, when that good nation pursues a world of goodness, the nations of the existing world, which is not good, will oppose it in every way possible.
     Evil tribes rose and fought against the way of the good tribe. All nations opposed the good nation; none welcomed it even though it had long been the hope of humanity. A nation of goodness must survive this confrontation with the evil nations and prevail in the battle of good versus evil. We know well that this is why history developed through this kind of struggle. (36:52-53, November 15, 1970) Continue reading “Whoever Favors War Are the Evil Ones”

Because of the Wickedness of these Nations, the Lord is Driving Them Out

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Cheon Seong Gyeong 1943

Originally, God’s will was to have the world united centering on Asia. But who took away that blessing after Jesus was killed under Judaism. Rome took it away. To recover that, God had to circle around the world, centering on Rome, to return to Asia. Why? It is because Rome took all the blessings. Rome had taken away all the blessings Judaism was to receive. That is the path that leads from Rome, based on the Italian peninsula, to Britain and across the Pacific Ocean to Asia. In this way, through the Second World War, God could establish control over the whole area of Asia. He had command over everything. (92-175, 1977.4.3)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1202

The age in which Jesus was not welcomed by the established Jewish faith must be restored through indemnity. Thus, there should be a phenomenon opposite to the time when Israel and Rome united against Jesus. The Korean government was united with America, and Christianity was opposing me persistently through these governments that were against me. I had to stand in such a position and restore this situation through indemnity. In my generation, I developed a national level foundation, and brought great victory. My strategy in America since 1974 was therefore to connect the foundation of this spiritual victory to the substantial world stage through the young generation of the world. Over a 3-year course, until my deadline of 1976, I waged a substantial war in earnest on the national level in America. (138-216, 1986.1.21)

War Against Evil

3. Situations When War is Justified

And if God had not repelled some men by others, the earth would have been corrupted.
    Qur’an 2.251

War is an evil thing; but to submit to the dictation of other states is worse… Freedom, if we hold fast to it, will ultimately restore our losses, but submission will mean permanent loss of all that we value… To you who call yourselves men of peace, I say: You are not safe unless you have men of action on your side.
    Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War(Hellenism) Continue reading “Because of the Wickedness of these Nations, the Lord is Driving Them Out”